The invention pertains to the general field of board games and more particularly to a competitive gambling board game having pieces which move upon spaces on the board. The number of spaces moved is determined by a pair of dice and each space describes an action to be taken by the respective player.
Throughout history people have spent a significant amount of their time conducting recreational activities such as playing games. The number of and types of games that exist are numerous, but of all games, the board game has been continuously played and improved upon.
A great benefit of board games is that they can be designed either very simply or complicated. Board games can also have themes, such as real estate, sports, etc. Some board games are developed for children while others are meant to be played by adults only.
One of the appealing aspects of playing board games is the sense of competition. People like healthy competition, especially when the winner receives some type of prize or reward. The most obvious example of this type of game, for adults, is gambling. For as long as there has existed some form of legal tender, there has been a desire to acquire more by wagering. The problem lies in the fact that most people who gamble end up losing everything they have in the effort to gain more.
A novel solution to this problem was to gamble with xe2x80x9cchipsxe2x80x9d instead of real money. Unfortunately, many people also crave the ambience of a casino to provide the environment of a true gambling experience.
Therefore, if there was some type of board game that could faithfully reproduce the ambience of a gambling mecca, such as Las Vegas, while allowing players to gamble as part of the game, it would be extremely popular with both seasoned gamblers and those who simply enjoy gambling for the competition.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention however, the following U.S. patents were considered related:
The D402,330 design patent discloses a gambling board game entitled xe2x80x9cGambler""s Decathlonxe2x80x9d. The game allows a plurality of players to select and place a bet on either Black Jack, Roulette or Craps. After the bets are placed, a first player throws a pair of dice to determine any winners or losers.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,736 discloses a game containing a board with multiple spaces on which a concert platform playing piece moves for each player from a start box to a final stage. Each space contains instructions which may include selecting a rescue or challenge card. The rescue cards provide a means for escaping precarious predicaments and the challenge cards may ask questions which if answered correctly provides a bonus and if answered incorrectly a monetary penalty. A pair of dice determines the number of spaces moved during each player""s turn. Each player can obtain band members to be inserted on their playing piece. Such band members are worth $50,000 each at the conclusion of the game, when each player arrives at the final stage. The player who accumulates the most money is declared the winner.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,639 discloses a game consisting of a game board, a multiple number of playing pieces shaped like musicians and their instruments, a multiple number of discs that receive flags with music note symbols, tokens, cards and a die. The game board consists of two separate paths, one representing the life of a rock musician and the other representing the position of a record on the charts. The winner of the game is the fist player to advance their discs to the number one space. The disc may be advanced by completing a circuit of the outer path with the token or by collecting a specified number of flags which are placed in the disk.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,233 discloses a board game which is used in combination with a existing board game, such as MONOPOLY(R), to provide expanded and more complex game play. In a preferred embodiment, the game board has a recessed interior portion capable of receiving the existing board game. The surrounding outer game board contains a plurality of spaces having subject matter compatible with the subject matter of the spaces on the MONOPOLY(R) game board.
The competitive gambling board game also known as ZAKIT(trademark), is designed to provide for at least two players a competitive game which embodies the ambiance of a Las Vegas type casino. The game combines personal trivia skills in combination with the rolling of a pair of dice. The players interact by placing bets on trivia questions and at each roll of the dice. In addition to rolling the dice, players can create additional money or lose money by selecting various cards. The money creating cards consist of xe2x80x9cCharacter Possessionsxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cYou""re So Money Honeyxe2x80x9d, and the loss of money occurs when a player must choose a xe2x80x9cNo Jack Babyxe2x80x9d card. The game also provides that if you run out of money and need additional funds, a player can pawn his/her possessions for a cash equivalent or receive a $500.00 loan from the house.
In its most basic structural design, the competitive gambling board game is comprises of:
a game board which includes: a plurality of Place Your Bets sections, Trivia Bet sections, a Pawn Shop a Character Possession section, and a plurality of sequential character movement spaces, including a start line and a finish line.
A set of implements used in combination with the game board to play the competitive gambling board game, the implements include:
a means for determining monetary values, a means for selecting a player sequence, a plurality of movable characters, a means for determining the number of character movement spaces a player is to take, a plurality of Character Possession cards, a plurality of Trivia cards, a plurality of Trivia chips, a plurality of You""re So Money Honey cards, and a plurality of No Jack Baby cards.
The directions for playing the game are included in the Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention section.
In view of the above disclosure, it is the primary object of the invention to provide a competitive, gambling board game that recreates the ambiance of a casino.
In addition to the primary object of the invention it is also an object of the invention to provide a board game that:
can be easily transported from one location to another,
can be played by two or more players of various age groups, and
is cost effective from both a consumer or a manufacturer point of view.